EU to demand improvements on tackling fake news by end of year: draft

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is set to demand tech giants like Facebook <FB.O> and Google <GOOGL.O> do more to stop the spread of fake news on their websites by the end of the year to avoid possible regulatory actions, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

The draft document sets out for the first time the measures the EU would like to see the tech giants take within a certain timeline. The companies have come under fire in Europe for not doing enough to remove misleading or illegal content, including incitement to hatred, extremism and the online sale of counterfeit products.

The European Commission plans to draw up a “Code of Practice” by July that will commit online platforms and advertisers to take a number of measures to prevent fake news being both uploaded and disseminated, “with a view…